Academy Grand Competition

This heartfelt and humble remark, like a spark, landed precisely in a volcano that had been accumulating for millennia.

The deathly silence was shattered by a deafening laugh that shook the heavens!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Lin Xuanqing looked up to the sky and let out a long roar, his laughter filled with joy.

"Good! What a tiny bit of progress! Haha!"

"I made the right bet! The best bet I 'Lin Xuanqing ever made in my entire life!!"

After a burst of laughter, Lin Xuan appeared in front of Chen Fan in a flash, gripping his shoulders tightly with both hands.

He stared at Chen Fan, his voice hoarse.

"In this Academy Grand Competition, I'm going to make those nine arrogant old geezers regret it to the core!"

"Xiao Fan! They think the Life School is a dead end..."

In Lin Xuanqing's eyes burned an unprecedented raging flame.

"Let them see for themselves how this dead end leads to the highest place!"

He released Chen Fan's shoulder, took a step back, solemnly straightened his slightly disheveled robes, and spoke in an unprecedentedly serious tone.

"Go back and rest for seven days. Don't think about anything, and don't practice anything."

Eat well, drink well, sleep well. Get your energy, vitality, and spirit to their most optimal state.

Wen Yuan, who was standing to the side, also managed to recover from the shock.

Looking at his junior Junior Fellow Apprentice, whose aura was harmonious and unfathomable, the shock in his heart slowly subsided, turning into pure relief and pride.

"Master is right," Wen Yuan added gently, his voice as reassuring as ever. "Junior Fellow Apprentice, don't feel any pressure. In this competition, just do as you please. Even if you only reveal the tip of the iceberg, it will be enough to shut everyone up forever."

He knew very well that with Chen Fan's current foundation, the so-called grand competition was nothing more than a dragon swimming in shallow waters, and there was no need to go all out.

Seeing the fervor in his master's eyes and the heartfelt care in his Senior Fellow Apprentice, Chen Fan's youthful face revealed a pure and innocent smile.

He made no grand pronouncements or promises, but simply bowed deeply to the two of them respectfully.

"Yes, Master, Senior Fellow Apprentice."

This composure beyond his years completely put Lin Xuanqing and Wen Yuan at ease. They exchanged a glance, both seeing relief and... an intense, unwavering expectation in each other's eyes.

Back in his own courtyard, Chen Fan did not immediately enter the Quiet Chamber for his final sprint of seclusion, as anyone had expected.

Instead, he acted like a real child, taking off his shoes and walking barefoot through the tranquil mountains of the Life School.

Sometimes he would stop to watch a wildflower sprout from the soil, bloom, and wither; sometimes he would squat down to observe a line of ants bravely facing life and death to carry a tiny grass seed; sometimes he would lie on the grass, feeling the breeze and the sunlight, completely immersing himself in this natural world.

The vast starry river formed from the eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight drops of Life-and-Death Dao Blood flowed slowly within his body during these seven days of leisurely strolls, until it became perfectly integrated, without a trace of worldly dust.

Seven days later.

"Thump!!"

A distant, ancient bell tolled, seemingly from the very beginning of time, and resounded without warning throughout the entire Tianshu Star System.

After the bell tolled, all was silent.

The Star River Martial Academy's Annual Grand Competition has officially begun!

The next moment, within the Tianshu Star System, whether they were ascetics in seclusion or students recuperating in blessed lands, regardless of age or experience, all were awakened by the sound of the bell.

In an instant, streaks of Stream of Light, some strong and some weak, shot into the sky from the ten planets representing the ten major schools of thought, like rivers flowing into the sea, converging on the vast Void Arena located at the center of the Star System.

At the gates of the Life School, Chen Fan, Wen Yuan, and thousands of Senior Fellow Apprentice with different auras gathered together.

Led by Wen Yuan, this small, even pitiful, team transformed into an inconspicuous streak of Stream of Light and silently flew towards the place where Prodigies gathered.

Compared to the surrounding groups of other schools of thought, which often numbered in the tens of thousands and were filled with dazzling light, they seemed out of place and even somewhat lonely.

The Void Arena is a vast platform spanning countless miles, created by supreme power.

At this moment, the platform was already teeming with people, with tens of thousands of the most outstanding talents from the ten major schools of thought gathered here.

They were in groups of three or five, clearly separated, and powerful auras intertwined in the Void, causing ripples to spread throughout the space.

The arrival of the Life School was like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan, instantly attracting countless eyes.

"Look, it's from the Life School."

"Tsk, still the same few people this year, how pathetic."

"I heard they recruited a top scorer in the Federation College Entrance Examination exam this year? Where is he?"

Amid the murmurs, Chen Fan and his group remained calm, walked straight to their designated corner, and stood quietly.

Just then, an immense and boundless pressure descended from the sky.

An elderly man dressed in a simple gray robe, with an indistinct face, appeared without warning high above the platform. He was the Vice Dean of the Star River Martial Academy.

His authoritative gaze swept across the entire arena, instantly silencing all the noise and making the entire stadium fall silent.

"The competition begins."

The Vice Dean spoke concisely, yet his voice clearly reached everyone's ears, like the resounding pronouncements of a divine law.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it towards the Void.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three deafening roars erupted as the Power of Laws surged, tearing open three enormous, stable spatial gates in the Void, each emanating a different aura.

"Disciples of all realms, enter!"

With a command from the Vice Dean, tens of thousands of students transformed into three massive torrents, surging into their respective spatial gates.

In the spectator stands, the Chief Instructors of the Nine Great Schools, including Ancient Martial Arts and New Martial Arts, all turned their gazes to the deserted area of Life School and to Lin Xuanqing.

Lin Xuanqing remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the piercing gazes directed at him.

Chen Fan remained calm, nodded slightly to Lin Xuanqing and Wen Yuan beside him, and then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, began to walk.

He did not follow any crowd, nor did he hesitate in the slightest. His small figure walked alone, step by step, toward that deep, dark portal that represented the battlefield of the Undying Realm and the Life-and-Death Cycle.

His figure appeared incredibly small in the face of the enormous spatial portal.

Just before Chen Fan's figure disappeared into the doorway.

A mocking voice suddenly rang out from the Ancient Martial Arts School's spectator stands, like a thunderclap, resounding throughout the entire arena!

"Lin Xuanqing, what place are you aiming for this time, your Life School?"

"If he can't even make it into the top five, I think we should let Chen Fan join our Ancient Martial Arts School!"